Tax rich liberals

Ann Coulter

Republicans have been forced into a Hobson’s choice of either letting the Bush tax cuts expire for everyone or agreeing to a tax hike on the top 2 percent of income earners (not to be confused with “the rich,” who have already made, inherited or married their money).

If Republicans object to the Democrats’ hitting job creators with a tax hike, three things will happen: Taxes will go up for everyone; Republicans will be seen as the “party of the rich”; and the inevitable economic collapse will be blamed on Republicans.

If Democrats were merely trying to raise taxes on the rich in a vacuum, it would be easier for Republicans to oppose raising anyone’s taxes. But because the Bush tax cuts are only temporary, unless the high-income earners’ taxes go up, everyone’s taxes revert to pre-Bush tax rates.

Republicans cannot be the party that raised everyone’s tax rates to prove that they can’t be pushed around by the Democratic Senate and Democratic president. You don’t want job-killing tax hikes on producers? Vote Republican next time.

It is not helpful to complain, “But Republicans will be blamed no matter what they do!” Yes — true. When has that not been true? It’s not a novel insight, and it’s certainly not an argument for handing our enemies a baseball bat to bludgeon us with.

Consider that the media’s neurotic fixation on an alleged Republican “War on Women” was going nowhere. It wasn’t even working with soccer moms — until Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock started prattling about rape and abortion.

Suggestion for Republicans: Stop living up to the Non-Fox Media’s stereotype of us as woman-hating Cro-Magnons who care only about the rich.

The fact that the NFM is against Republicans doesn’t mean Republicans can never win any battles. (Though demographic shifts may soon mean Republicans can never win any battles.)

Apart from gay marriage, the only issue the NFM has ever cared more about is aborting babies. And yet, intelligent pro-lifers swung the debate and public opinion by pushing parental notification laws, spousal notification laws and partial-birth abortion bans.

Even now, when we’re down to a slight majority in one-half of one branch of government, there are crucial battles Republicans can win.

I note that rich liberals — who somehow manage to avoid paying high taxes themselves — are always wildly enthusiastic about raising taxes on the middle class to keep the strivers down.

Forget the top 2 percent. The top 1 percent of the top 1 percent keep voting for higher taxes — and then take advantage of indefensible tax loopholes and deductions. Get them.